The city of Manali is known as the Paradise in the Western Himalayas, which is positioned at the foothills of the Rohtang Pass in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The city of Manali is a renowned resort, perfect for visiting during all the seasons. The city of Manali is positioned in the center of the misty mountain valley which is full of quietness and mesmeric beauty, the thick forests and the nutritious apple plantations. The city of Manali is the access way to the great wonders of the Himalayas, to the Lahaul-Spiti Valley to the rocky heights of Leh-Ladakh.

The Hotel Wood Rock is placed in the town of Manali in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The Hotel Wood Rock in Manali is positioned at a short distance of 100 meters from the Mall on the Circut House Road, Manali. The hotel overlooks the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas.

Hotel Wood Rock as the name suggests is made of “WOOD” & “ROCK” and designed for evert comfort of our guests.

The hotel is surrounded by excellent view of the beautiful Himalayas.

It is 5 min. walk from the mall and provides ample parking space with well maintained lawns. the lobby is simple yet elegant interiors will soothe your heart as you step into WOOD ROCK.

Room for everyone

Luxurious guest rooms which includes Deluxe, Super Deluxe, Honeymoon Suite and Duplex, offer comfort and warmth of a five-star hospitality. Each room is equipped with a plasma TV, Interactive entertainment facilities, Cupboards, in room safes, international direct dial telephones and 24 hrs. hot water facility for your comfort.

Deluxe Rooms

The Deluxe rooms are well furnished and spacious rooms,with beautiful gallery view of the Himalayas. A complete marvel in luxury and hospitality the suites provide you with superior class facilities and 24-hour room service to make you feel privileged.

Super Deluxe Rooms

The Super Deluxe rooms are well furnished and spacious rooms,with beautiful gallery view of the Himalayas. A complete marvel in luxury and hospitality the suites provide you with superior class facilities and 24-hour room service to make you feel privileged.

Honeymoon Suites

The Honeymoon Suites are well furnished and spacious rooms,with beautiful gallery view of the Himalayas. A complete marvel in luxury and hospitality the suites provide you with superior class facilities and 24-hour room service to make you feel privileged.

Duplex Rooms

The Duplex rooms are well furnished and spacious rooms,with beautiful gallery view of the Himalayas. A complete marvel in luxury and hospitality the suites provide you with superior class facilities and 24-hour room service to make you feel privileged.

Our multi-cuisine restaurant offers vegetarian cuisines of North India, South Indian, Chinese and a splash of Continental fare.To compliment the good food the service is personalised and delivered with a smile.

Banyan tree, locally known as balete or balite. It is considered that the tree are home to a variety of spirits just like diwata and engkanto and demon like creatures. Children are taught to not ever point a finger to a banyan tree especially if the tree is fully matured to avoid taunting the spirits that live within them. When I was a kid, I was also taught to say the words “tabi apo” which means “excuse me” each time I go by a banyan tree for me to avoid any harm. Offending the creatures in a banyan tree might lead to illness, suffering, misfortunes and also death.

This tree is very widespread alongside the banks of Matin-ao spring. They’re the primary source of water on the spring plus they play an important role in keeping the freshness and coolness of the water because of its roots. Matin-ao spring is located at Barangay Bangcud, Malaybalay City. It’s just a 30-minute drive from the city proper.

This spring was once become popular to local people as well as tourist. When we were kids, my loved ones will go picnic in this place nearly every weekend. It is in this place where my dad trained me and my younger brother how to swim. We’ve got our favoured swimming spot in where the source of water is only beside us. During those times, I noticed many locals enjoying theirselves in the freshness and coolness of the water. It is a common placefor simple family gatherings. The spring also is a good source of clean drinking water to the people of Bangcud.

Matin-ao spring lost its appeal years after it had been reported that this water is contaminated with parasitic worms or regularly recognized by the locals as “sisto” which cause the schistosomiasis disease. Folks are now are afraid to take a bath in the spring fearing that they can be infected with the dangerous disease. Another reason why the spring lost its popularitycould be the development of spring resorts in the southern part of the province. People would rather choose to do their swimming in those man-made swimming pools with chlorinated water.

After a long time, when I came to visit Matin-ao spring, I noticed that only few local people are swimming in the stream. Others are also doing their laundry washing near the supply of water. The surrounding is quite untidy and you can surely say the place isn’t well-maintained. You can no longer see different families having their gatherings alongside the banks. However it was now replaced with videoke bars with the drunken local folks singing to the top of their voices. The spot is indeed very noisy. The fresh and relaxing environment of Matin-ao spring is no longer there.

I still hope that the old attractiveness of Matin-ao spring will be recovered. It’s not yet too late. The banyan trees are still there standing proud. The cool and fresh water is still running deeply and waiting to be developed. It only requires a little fund for improvement to restore the actual beauty of Matin-ao spring. If the government is going to do an action in getting rid of those rumored parasitic worms, I’m sure Matin-ao spring will be again be a popular destination.

The Four Seasons Seychelles Resort has teamed up with the Marine Conservation Society of Seychelles to provide a programme that gives holidaymakers the opportunity to swim with whale sharks.

Tourists taking scuba diving holidays at the Seychelles resort will be able to book whale shark watching excursions where they will have the chance to swim and snorkel with the friendly giant creatures.

Whale sharks are filter feeding so they pose no threat to humans despite their huge size. The gentle creatures are most likely to be found in waters surrounding the Seychelles during September and October as they make their journey to the central west coast of Australia during their annual migration.

The MCSS will use MicroLite aircraft to track whale sharks on a daily basis and once spotted, the Fours Seasons recreation team will be notified, guests will be alerted and they will be taken out on a boat charter to the location where the whale sharks were spotted.

Seychelles is one of the few places in the world that you can spot whale sharks, so this is really a once in a lifetime opportunity to swim with them, explained Diarmuid Connolly, the Leisure Experience Manager. Sightings dont happen every day, so signing up to the programme is no guarantee of being able to see them, but the hard work of the MCSS means the prospect are increased. We will contact you if there is a sighting, so you can relax and enjoy the facilities of the Resort.

The Marine Conservation Society of Seychelles is a non-governmental organisation that includes a team of local scientists, ecologists and conservationists. The organisation works hard to improve the conservation of marine eco-systems through scientific, management, educational and training programmes within one of the most popular scuba diving destinations in the world.

The whale shark swimming excursions costs EUR 120, and the revenue raised goes to the MCSS to help fund their work and studies.

The Seychelles is a fantastic destination for scuba diving holidays and the island nation is home to an abundance of breathtaking natural landscapes including white sand, palm-fringed beaches; crystal-clear aquamarine ocean waters and lagoons; and lush green forests.

The beautiful archipelago of 115 islands is situated in the Indian Ocean, 900 miles east of Madagascar and while scuba diving in the Seychelles, tourists can catch sightings of magnificent whale sharks, Octopus, Spiny Lobster, Giant Grouper, reef sharks, Angel fish, butterfly fish, sea turtles and colourful coral reefs.